Reality Check
by DigitalKing101
Summary: An S Class Ingredient can open up rare opportunities... It's your choice to grab hold of them. (Kirito x Sinon OneShot)


Whoa, holy shit! I'm writing again! I know, I know, it's exciting, but keep your pants on people! I've decided to discontinue any stories on my profile currently, whether it be due to lack of motivation or computer failure wiping all the chapters. (Yes, the latter did happen.) Sorry to anyone reading those, but perhaps I'll finish them another time. (Metroid: Souls in particular. I'm planning a major rewrite of that in particular.) In the meantime, you can enjoy this quick, mega fluff one shot from SAO II. I'm a huge Kirito x Sinon shipper so hooray! Let's go!

I do not own Sword Art Online and am not profiting from this work in any way shape or form.

/\/ Reality Check /\/

Sinon held her breath, steadying her bow at the boar-like creature across the clearing. It noisy slurped up large gulps of water from the small, crystal clear pond at its feet. She'd been tracking the animal for a few hours now, and had come across it resting in a clearing that seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the forest. Sinon had been exploring the forest for almost four weeks, and she'd never come across this spot. She had quickly marked it on her map, and gotten into position to take the boar.

She drew back the bowstring, an arrow resting delicately on it. She took a second more to steady her aim, and then let the arrow fly.

There was a loud twang as the arrow leapt free from the bow, but it was not enough warning to let the boar avoid its fate. The arrow slammed into its side, piercing the short navy hair and thick skin, driving its tip directly into the poor animal's heart. The boar died quickly, and a drop list popped up in front of sinon's face.

"Spriggan dusk boar…" Sinon muttered, going over the item's details. "Wha-! This is an S class Ingredient?" She exclaimed, taken aback by the quality of the drop she'd obtained. Obviously, those hours spent hunting the boar were well worth their while. She packed the drop away in her inventory and hustled out of the forest, heading for cait sith territory.

Once back at her meager flat, sinon dumped her spoils into the ingredient storage and immediately turned and headed out the door. Her kitchen was a small one, and she didn't have the tools nor skills to prepare a proper meal.

Sinon swiped through her friends list, scanning for anyone online. Kirito, Klein, Silica, and Leafa were all who were on. She knew that Kirito and Klein would never invest time in a skill like cooking, and, quite honestly, she wasn't too fond of Leafa. After all, she was Kirito's sister, yet she still seemed to be into him. It creeped her out, if only just a little bit. She tapped on Silica's name, shooting a quick message to the young cait sith.

"Hey, Silica. It's Sinon. I found an S Class Ingredient while I was hunting, and I don't have a high enough cooking skill to prepare it. Do you have a high enough cooking skill by any chance?" The message was slightly utilitarian, but Sinon wasn't exactly the social type. She just hoped the young girl would accept her request. She stood nervously on the edge of town waiting for the reply for what seemed like eternity. (Of course, being the enthusiastic young girl Silica is, the reply came a mere two minutes later in reality.)

"Yep! I definitely have a high enough cooking skill Sinon! I maxed it out a month or so back when I was bored. I'm out grinding with Kirito and Klein right now, and Kirito said it was okay if I used his kitchen. Meet me at Kirito and Asuna's place in a few minutes, kay?" The reply was cheery and upbeat as expected, but there was one specific part about the message that didn't sit well with her. At Kirito's place? The meat was enough to feed two at most, and most definitely wouldn't feed her and the other three. That might be a problem. Sinon shook the thought away. She'd solve that problem when it arose.

XXXXXXX

"Tada!" Silica exclaimed, happily placing down a pot of rich stew in the table in front of her. "Here you go Sinon! Your S Class experience is ready!" Silica smiled innocently. "There's enough for two people, so you and Kirito can enjoy it!"

"Hold on a minute," Klein interjected, "I wanna taste this thin-"

"Nope!" Silica cut him off. "You promised to help me get through that nasty dungeon in Pooka Territory." She said, a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

"Hold on, I never promised- Agh!" Klein yelled out in pain as Silica hopped up, grabbing hold of his ear and dragging him out the door.

Once outside, Silica grabbed Klein by the collar and pulled him down to her eye level. "Listen you, Sinon's dealt with a whole lotta crap from Asuna and all of the other girls recently, so this is a little gift from me to her. So, you aren't going to ruin it." There was an unmistakable fire in her eyes that told him he'd be worse than dead if he messed this up. Klein gulped. "But if Asuna finds out she's gonna kick Kiri-Dude's ass…"

Silica shrugged. "Asuna is off with that Zekken girl right now. She'll never know. Now, you can stand here and gawk all day, or you can help me clear a nasty dungeon in Pooka Territory."

Klein sighed. "And I thought Lisbeth could be crazy…"

XXXXXXX

"So, you found an S Class Ingredient, huh?" Kirito asked, staring hungrily at the pot on the table, his mouth watering.

"Uh, yeah. I suppose you want some?" Sinon asked, handing him a bowl of the stew. He gladly accepted the food and immediately started to scarf it down rapidly. Sinon let out a soft laugh.

"You'd think you're never going to be able to eat again."

"Mmph- You've obviously never had an S Class Meal, Sinon." He managed in between mouthfuls. She rolled her eyes. How good could it really be? After all, it was just virtual food.

Sinon spooned a small portion of the stew out of the forest green pot and into her own bowl. She lifted the spoon up to her mouth, and she got her answer.

It could be very good.

The rest of their meal continued in mostly silence, with only a few words being exchanged before Kirito leaned back in his chair.

"Ahh, that was amazing. I haven't had S Class food since SAO." He exclaimed lazily. Sinon nodded in agreement, a pleased smile on her face. It was the best meal she'd had in a long time.

"So, how was your grinding going?" Sinon asked quietly. Normally she was quite shy, but she seemed to relax whenever she was alone with Kirito.

XXXXXXX

Klein struck down a serpentine monster grunting with effort. "That should be the last of em on this level. Let's take a quick break."

Silica nodded weakly, sliding to the floor. "Agreed…"

Klein leaned back against the wall. "Hey, Silica, I've been meaning to ask you… You said that Sinon had been putting up with all the other girls around Kiri-Dude, but… Aren't you one of those girls?"

Silica let out a soft chuckle. "No. Well, not anymore. I will agree with you, I used to be head over heels in love with the guy. But then I realized… Well, I'm a lot younger, and he already was in love with Asuna, so what's the point? It was about then that I realized I didn't actually love him, I just thought I did since he saved me, and eventually, Pina. Whole knight in shining armor deal, y'know? So I just kinda…Gave up." The young girl had a hint of sadness in her eyes. Klein closed his eyes, his hand resting on his chin. "I can't say I know where you're coming from, but I can at least see what you're saying. It's nice of ya to set this up for Sinon though." Klein said. "Although maybe not so good for Kiri-Dude, especially if Asuna finds out." He added under his breath.

Silica shrugged. "Like I said, she's off with those Sleeping Knights people. She won't have a clue."

"If you say so."

XXXXXXX

"Ah, damn, I lost track of time…" Kirito muttered. "I've gotta log out soon…"

He and Sinon had finished their meal some time ago, and had moved to the den to talk. The fire crackled gently, casting warm shadows around the dimly lit room. Sinon had fallen asleep, and was resting on the small couch pushed up against the wall. Kirito found himself staring at her.

"I should probably wake her up… Let her log out…" He pulled himself out of his chair, trudging over to the couch. He was rather tired, too. He grabbed Sinon's shoulder, shaking her gently. "Hey, Sinon… Wake up. It's getting late."

Sinon let out a yawn, her hand coming up to rub her exhausted eyes. "Wha- what time is it…?" Sinon muttered drowsily. Kirito laughed softly.

"By the sound of it, time for bed. You'd better log out." He grabbed her hand, slowly helping her to her feet. She swayed back and forth ever so slightly, as if she was uncomfortable with they way her feet connected with the floor.

"Yeah, I guess I will… Thank you for the evening, I guess." She blushed slightly. Kirito merely smiled.

"Sure, anytime, as long as bring food like that." Sinon smiled nervously.

"Uh, yeah, good night…" Sinon gulped. It was just her and him, alone. No one would know. She mentally hit herself. "Don't freak out, Sinon." She whispered to herself.

"What was that- Mmrph!" Kirito was cut off as Sinon's lips suddenly connected with his. His first thought was to throw her off immediately. He and Asuna were already a thing and he couldn't go around kissing other girls! His second thought, however, was radically different. "Her lips… Are so soft..." He thought. He was surprised to find that after a second, his first thought- the thought of throwing her off in surprise- was no longer a thought at all.

It felt like much too soon to end such a kiss for the both of them when the broke off.

"Sinon," Kirito muttered, still slightly dumbstruck after what had just transpired. But Sinon was not there. She had already logged out. Kirito was leftovers with nothing but the dying crackle of the fire to keep him company.

XXXXXXX

Shino sat up in bed, breathing heavily. She tenderly slipped the Amusphere off her head, placing it on the crisp white sheets beside her. She brought her hand up to her lips, brush them softly with three fingers. It had only been virtual…

But it had felt as real as ever.

Damn, what a story. I think that that might be one of my favorites. I've no idea where I'm going to go from here with this account, but I promise this story wasn't a goodbye. There will be another update sometime soon. Promise.

For the first time in a long while, DigitalKing, logging out.


End file.
